Vegan salad made with roasted sweet potatoes, baked spicy chickpeas, quinoa, pomegranate seeds, walnuts and veggies by tossing them in a simple dressing made of mustard and dates!

Until my 20s, a salad in my life was just a plateful of sliced tomatoes or cucumbers. A boring but supremely healthy plate of food that neither tempted the vision nor the appetite. And then, I found this salad bar in a mall food court that totally made me love salads. While salad bars are extremely common in the west, there aren't many out here in the tropical sub continent. May be it is the weather or may be it just that there is no demand. I loved the idea that I could pile up my bowl with anything and everything and make my own salad. Unfortunately, the place shut down after a while. But ever since, I love DIY salads.

While I eat salads, I rarely post their recipes. When I make salads at home, they are usually very simple - veggies tossed in a simple vinaigrette, so I don't share them with you. But this salad, I had to share!!

Where do I begin with this salad... it has so many delicious things all mixed together.

Roasted Sweet Potato - I found some gorgeous orange sweet potato (a rare find in Bangalore), so I bought some and roasted it in the oven with olive oil, salt, cumin and smoked paprika until they were soft and fabulous. Alternatively, roast some pumpkin.

Spicy baked Chickpeas - You have to add some crunch to the salad, and in this case, these chickpeas are the crunch element. I soaked chickpeas overnight and cooked them with salt until soft. Then I peeled them and roasted them with olive oil and salt. I tossed in some red chilli powder after removing from the oven. You can buy crispy chickpeas or you can just add boiled chickpeas.

Quinoa - This is what makes the salad filling and increases the protein content of the salad. If you cannot find quinoa, use millet or buckwheat.

Blanched Vegetables - I blanched some broccoli and beans and added them to the salad. I love broccoli and beans are just healthy. Add any of your favorite veggies, blanched or raw.

Pomegranate - I love pomegranate and I will add this to any salad I can. These sweet juicy pink seeds make any salad pop. They add a slight sweetness to the salad and complement the sweet potato really well.

Walnuts - You can never have enough crunch in a salad. Add in any nuts you love, I personally love walnuts. Plus, they are good for your brain.

Lettuce - Salad isn't salad until you have some green leaves. And while I list is last, it is most definitely the mandatory element of the salad. You can replace it with kale or baby spinach.

Since the salad itself had such gorgeous ingredients, I kept the dressing simple, yet interesting. Mustard, dates, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic and salt. Just blend everything until you have a tart sweet and hot dressing.

This salad is substantial enough to be a meal in itself. In fact, it was our dinner and it kept us feeling full for a long time. However, it felt light also.

The salad has ingredients that need preparation - roasting, baking, blanching and boiling. You can prep all of these in advance. That is exactly what I did. I roasted the sweet potato and chickpeas the day before. The chickpeas tend to get a little soft and chewy, but you can pop them in the oven for a while before adding to the salad to crisp them up again. I boiled the quinoa the previous day too. If you plan to make the salad the very next day, then you can also blanch the veggies the night before.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

Method:

1. Soak the chickpeas for 8-10 hours. Drain and boil in salted water until done.2. Drain and peel the chickpeas. Dry as much as possible.3. Toss with 1 tsp Olive oil and bake at 200 degree C for 25-30 minutes until crisp.4. Remove from oven and toss with red chilli powder. 5. Peel and dice the sweet potato.6. Toss in 2 tsp olive oil, smoked paprika, salt and cumin powder until all pieces are coated.7. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 200 degree C until done.8. Cook the quinoa as per instructions on the packet until done. I soaked the quinoa for 1 hour and pressure cooked with 1.5 cups of water.9. Boil water and add a pinch of salt. Blanch the broccoli florets and beans for 2-3 minutes. Remove from hot water and immediately put the broccoli and beans in cold water. 10. Soak the dates in warm water. Drain the water, deseed the dates and blend into a puree. Use little water while blending if required.11. Blend together mustard powder, vinegar, garlic powder, date puree, water and salt until mixed.12. Make the salad by tossing the lettuce leaves, roasted sweet potato, chickpeas, quinoa, blanched broccoli, chopped blanched beans, walnuts, pomegranate seeds and the dressing together.13. Serve at room temperature.

Who doesn't love potatoes? Did you just say "Yes"? Then I suggest you pack your bags and head over to Bangalore so that I can serve you a plate of this delicious Garlic and Herb Roasted Potatoes that I cannot get enough of.

That humble little golden tuber tastes so great irrespective of how it is cooked - boiled, roasted or fried. Especially fried! I see no reason to not like it. It is also one of those vegetables that has gained such a bad reputation among dieters. But hey, a little potato never killed anybody, so dieting or no, I wasn't going to miss out on cooking or eating these luxurious purple potatoes. If you are counting calories, I'd suggest eat just a little bowl, but don't miss it!

Gee went to Malaysia a while ago and she picked these purple beauties there. I know right, how foodie of her. Well, when you have a food blogger for a sister, you walk in super market aisles even when on vacation. My brother in law claims he wasn't too claims he wasn't too happy about it, but hten he is a big potato person, so I don't think he has too many complaints now. Our daily calls when she was there focused more on what she ate rather than what she saw. "Ooh you saw Petronas, greattt! now, what did you eat for lunch? Tell me all about it". She got my mouth all watering, that we went out for some 100% vegetarian Malay food as soon as she was back - Mamak Mee Goreng and Nasi Goreng at Nasi and Mee. If you like Malay food (and are in Bangalore), you should check out this place.

Back to potatoes, while Indians love their potatoes, the only variety we get here is a regular white-yellow potato. The only other variety we do get is the Sweet Potato which isn't orange as most one abroad are. This is white too, with a pink skin. So Gee got really excited when she found the purple ones and immediately called me up to ask what I could make of them. What better way to celebrate a potato, than to make a Roast Potato Salad. Why you will love it:

So easy to make

Flavorful

Colorful

Pairs well with anything

Salty

Potatoes - yes, just because they are potatoes

Potatoes are a winter or cool-season crop. So they are the freshest in winter. Most of the potatoes we get in summer are actually from cold storage. And with winter almost on its way out, this recipe is right on time. May be you still have time to go pick up this seasons potatoes. And while you are at it, pick a nice mix of them - purple, red, fingerling, gold, sweet. I added some local white potato and sweet potatoes to the make the dish a little more interesting with different colors and flavors. But if you cannot find the various varieties, just go with what you have cause there is no reason one should miss out on some serious potato action.

While the plain salted roasted potatoes taste good, make it better with added flavors. I added crushed garlic, dried oregano, fresh rosemary, smoked paprika and salt. I rubbed the potatoes with all the herbs and garlic along with some good quality extra virgin olive oil and baked them until they crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The trick to getting them crisp is to allow them to touch the pan, so don't overcrowd them if you want a crispy exterior on all your potatoes.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

Happy 2018 guys!!! I know I’ve been AWOL for way too long from the blog and I feel extremely guilty. It may be a new year but my excuses are the same – work, home and travelling took up so much time that I could not devote enough to my one passion – my blog. I’ve missed blogging much more than anything last year and I don’t wish to repeat that again. So hopefully, you’ll see more of me and more consistently in 2018. Cheers!!

If you’re following me on Instagram, then you know what I’ve been eating and where. No? What are you waiting for, go follow me here or search for @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram.

Just to catch you up a little, I spent the last week in Chicago freezing myself. I went from a comfortable 20 degrees C (Positive) and to -20 degrees C (negative) for one week. My fingers froze when they weren’t in the coat pockets and my ear hurt when it errantly slipped out of the cap. I applaud those who brave this weather regularly, but I’m not made for that chill. While it was an a nice to experience just how that cold feels, I’m happy to be back to warm weather where I don’t need even a light jacket and I can roam around in open sandals.

I am one of those weirdos who actually likes airline food. I look forward to meals on planes. But after 8 meals in a span of one week plus a week of eating in restaurants, I’m just simply glad to be back to eat warm clean food at home. A touch of spice, a lot less cheese and a lot of health – that’s how I like my everyday food.

So my first recipe of 2018, is this warm flavorful Thai Green Curry with lots of vegetables that is perfect for cold winters. Did I tell you how much I love it? It is simply delicious plus it is hearty, healthy, vegan, gluten-free and full of fiber. Serve it with a bowl of brown rice for a healthier meal. I also had so much fun making this curry. I found all the fresh ingredients in the market and they were such a colorful bunch. I enjoyed shooting this recipe, all those colors popped beautifully.

Back to the recipe, one might be discouraged by the number of ingredients, but I ask you to look beyond it. The number may be more, but the effort is really not too much. The prep here is more time consuming than the actual cooking. And this is the perfect recipe to engage your family – ask your partner or kids to help out in peeling, chopping and slicing. Make it a family recipe and you won’t be so daunted.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

Method:

To make the Green Curry Paste:

1. Powder the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns coarsely. I hand pounded these in a mortar with a pestle.2. Remove the outer later of the lemongrass stalk and chop into slices.3. Roughly chop the green chillies, onions, green onions and garlic.4. Add the pounded spices, lemongrass, green chillies, onions, green onions, garlic, chopped ginger, chopped turmeric, coriander leaves, basil leaves, lime zest, lime juice, sugar/jaggery and 1 tsp of salt to the food processor or a mixer and give it a whizz.5. Scrape the sides of the jar and grind again. Add water by the spoonful to get a smooth paste.6. Adjust salt, sugar and lime as per your taste.7. Fill in sterilized glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.8. This recipe makes approximately 1.5 cups of curry paste.

To make the vegan Thai Green Curry:

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai.2. Drain the excess water from the tofu using a kitchen towel. Add the tofu to the wok and fry until golden.3. Remove the tofu and keep aside.4. Add the carrots, mushroom, zucchini, broccoli, bokchoy stems and capsicum and stir fry them for 3-4 minutes.5. Add the bokchoy leaves or spinach and stir until they are wilted.6. Cook until the vegetables are cooked to your liking and remove it from the wok and keep aside. Preferably, the vegetables should be crunchy and not overcooked and mushy.7. Heat the remaining oil and add the green curry paste. Stir fry it for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.8. Add the stir fried vegetables along with the boiled sweet potato to the wok.9. Add the thin coconut milk and cook it for 3-4 minutes.10. Add the thick coconut milk and salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes.11. Add the tofu before serving. Serve the curry hot with steamed white rice.

Try this hearty warming bowl of Undhiyu (Undhiyo) or Gujarati mix vegetable curry made with the best of winter produce before the season ends!

Food is how I celebrate and this mix vegetable Gujarati Undhiyu is just that. A celebration in your mouth. Full of seasonal winter vegetables and spices. A warming bowl of curry. I made this last week. Somehow it took me a week to get this published. I cooked some other amazing dishes like this Vegan Zucchini Kale Lasagna that I was really excited to post about, and somehow this celebratory bowl just took the backseat. Not that this is any less amazing, but I was super excited to have tried my hand at making vegan cheese that I had to bring it out to the world just as quickly as I could.

Back to my all-time favorite Gujarati curry - Undhiyu. While one thinks of India as a predominantly vegetarian eating country, it happens we are all wrong. Apparently a lot of India actually caters to the non vegetarians, but there is one state that never lets down vegetarians - Gujarat. The western most state of India is full of flavorful vegetarian food. From Dhokla to Handvo and similar scary sounding dishes that actually explode with flavor in your mouth to this super delicious Undhiyu. Undhiyu in it's humblest form is actually just a simple mix vegetable curry that is made using seasonal winter vegetables and a masala paste made using coconut, fresh coriander leaves and a few spices.

I had forgotten how much I liked Undhiyu until recently my sis's sis in law got us some. I couldn't get enough of it. I could have eaten the entire pot full of curry, but hey, I'm not that rude, I had to leave some for the rest. I HAD to make some of my own that I need not share with anyone, except of course Raj. I can rarely sneak food without him knowing, after all, he does the dishes. I love that man.

Traditionally, Undhiyu uses the following vegetables:

Potato

Sweet Potato

Baby brinjal or eggplant

Purple yam

Raw banana or plantain

Fresh Toovar or Pigeon Peas (Togarikalu)

Fresh Surti Papdi or Hyacinth Beans (Avarekai / Avarekalu)

A lot of this can be substituted if it is not the season or not available in your area. I could get most of it, except the purple yam. I'm yet to find it in Bangalore. I used Arbi. You can replace it with any variety of yam. The fresh toovar or pigeon peas can be replaced with fresh green beans. The surti papdi can be replaced with green beans and the surti beans can be replaced with Edamame. Don't worry about having the exact ingredients, just use what is available.

Apart from the vegetables, steamed balls made of gram flour or besan, spices and methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) called Muthia are also added for more flavor and texture. Methi leaves add a nice salty fragrance to the dish. But if you cannot find methi, feel free to replace with dill leaves, coriander or any fragrant greens. You can also buy ready made muthia in some places, like Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Undhiyu gets all its flavor from the green masala. The green masala is made by blending together fresh coriander leaves, fresh coconut, ginger, garlic, green chillies, sesame seeds, coriander powder, cumin powder, sugar, salt and lime juice. This masala in then stuffed into brinjal, raw banana and into baby potatoes if you use them. Then just heat oil in a pressure cooker and layer the vegetables and leftover masala and cook for 1-2 whistles until done. A pressure cooker drastically cuts down the cooking time making it a very quick cooking dish. However, if you don't own a pressure cooker, just use a covered flat bottomed saucepan or pot, preferably deep.

Undhiyu is generally eaten with either roti or puri.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

For the tempering (tadka):

Method:

To make the methi muthia:

Mix together the gram flour, chopped methi leaves, ginger paste, crushed green chilli, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, sugar, lime juice, salt, 1 tsp oil and the water until combined. Shape into marble sized balls.Heat a steamer and place the muthia in it.Steam for 7-8 minutes until cooked.Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan.Add the steamed muthia and saute until slightly browned.

To make the green masala:

Grind together all the ingredients for the green masala. If the mixture is too dry and difficult to grind, add only 1 tsp of water to help grinding. Adding too much water will make the consistency of the masala too loose.

To make the Undhiyu:

Peel the raw banana and cut into large chunks. Make a slit on the chunks for the stuffing.Peel and halve the arbi.Chop the sweet potato into chunks.Make a criss cross lengthwise slit on the brinjal and the baby potato.Chop the surti papdi or the beans into 1" pieces.Stuff the brinjals, potatoes and raw banana with the masala.Heat 4-5 Tbsp oil in the pressure cooker.Add 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) and cumin seeds.Once they brown slightly, add the asafoetida (hing).Add the surti papdi, surti beans and the fresh toovar.Add half the leftover masala and mix well.Now add the arbi and sweet potato. Sprinkle over the rest of the green masala. Sprinkle over 2-3 pinches of salt.Now layer the stuffed vegetables on the top along with the stir fried muthia.Sprinkle a pinch of salt.Add 3/4 cup of water from the side. Cover and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles or 8-10 minutes.After the pressure settles, open the pressure cooker and gently mix the curry without breaking the stuffed vegetables.Serve hot with roti or puris.

Cauliflower Rendang is a vegan version of the spicy flavorful Malaysian curry made with lemongrass, red chillies and coconut milk.

Have you ever wondered how a fire breathing dragon feels? Fire in it's belly, fire in it's throat and fire on it's lips. I felt exactly the same way when I made this curry the first time. I was so excited with the bright red chilli paste that I ended up adding all of it and made this curry so hot that I felt like a fire breathing dragon for almost half the day. My tummy burned, by throat burned and my lips were literally on fire. Water didn't cool it off, neither did cold milk.

Ever felt this way? What did you do to calm the fire?

Like lightening, in this case, the fire definitely did not strike a second time. I wised up. I used less red chillies. It was still hot, a Rendang is meant to be hot, but it was heat that I was comfortable with. Let me warn you though, I do eat spicy food at least 2-3 times a week, so I am spice tolerant. If you are not used to spicy food, I'd say go light on the chilli paste. You don't have to use all the chilli paste. You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge and use it to make some Honey Chilli Sauce or to add heat to other meals you cook.

I'll let you in on a little secret - I absolutely LOVE Asian curries!!! Yeah, well, no secret...

I was a big fan of Thai curries for a looong time, until I tried the Vegan Amok in Cambodia. And I kinda changed favorites. I've made that a couple of times with the Amok Powder I picked up in Siem Reap, it is sooo tasty, I feel like I'm cheating on Thai curry when I have it.

The only Asian curry that I had heard for a long time, but never had a vegan version was the Malaysian Rendang. Usually Rendang is made from Beef or Chicken, but since I consume neither, I wanted to make my own vegan version of it. I added Cauliflower, Cauliflower greens, and Sweet Potato to replace the beef or chicken in the curry. And girl... it was goooooood...

Have you ever tried sweet potato in a curry? If not, you really really should. I'm not such a big fan of boiled or roasted sweet potato, but when boiled in a curry, it is super tasty. I put it first in the Amok and now the Rendang, I've loved it both the times. Raj assumed he would be getting all the sweet potato in the curry, he was taken aback when he realised he had to compete with me in fishing them out in the curry.

To complement the curry, I made a simple cumin rice where I cooked short grained rice with salt and cumin. It went really well with the Cauliflower Rendang. Next time you feel like having curry, try this rendang out and take pictures and tag me @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram, or @OneTeaspoonLife on Twitter or share with me on Facebook.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Mushroom Cafreal - Vegan curry from Goa made by cooking mushrooms in a coriander sauce.

Method:

Soak the dry red chillies in a cup of hot water and keep aside for 10 minutesRemove the outer layers of the lemongrass stalk until you reach the soft white center.Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the sweet potato into chunks.Drain out the chillies and remove the seeds.Grind 3 of the lemongrass stalks, chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, tamarind and sugar along with a little water to a fine paste.Heat oil in a pan and fry the paste for 3-4 minutes.Bruise the remaining lemongrass and add it to the pan along with the cauliflower and the sweet potato.Add salt and mix well.Cover and cook on low heat until the cauliflower and sweet potato are almost done. They should be slightly undercooked.Add the coconut milk and simmer on low heat uncovered for 8-9 minutes until you get the desired consistency and the vegetables are cooked. Adjust the sugar and salt as required.Serve hot with rice.

Today was day 1 of my long long weekend. Yesss!!! I have a 4 days weekend. I used to wonder if there is anything better than a long weekend, there definitely is, this 4 days weekend. 4 full days, well 3 now, I'm so excited.

Day 1 was very fruitful. I finished all my festival shopping. The market place was crazzzy. People everywhere. I guess everyone wants to finish off all their Diwali shopping this long weekend.

Let's talk about the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha. Paratha is wholewheat flatbread that is usually stuffed with either vegetable or cheese. It is a popular breakfast dish across North India. Just as I say that, I must also say I'm a big fan of all day breakfast. Breakfast for lunch, Breakfast for dinner - I'm all for it.

I made this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha for dinner. It was a busy day, and I wanted something hearty and filling yet easy to make. Don't let the number of steps below frighten you, the paratha is actually very easy to make. Let me take a minute to tell you just how tasty this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha is - It is super delicious. They have that slight sweetness of the sweet potato, the hit of heat from the green chillis and the saltiness of the melting cheese all enveloped in a crispy wholewheat covering.

I used regular processed cheese cubes. Use any sharp salty cheese that melts when heated. Hard or very creamy cheese will not go well with this Paratha.

I usually knead the dough well in advance and keep in the fridge. The same dough is used to make chapatis or rotis. The dough stays good for 3-4 days in the fridge. So go ahead and make it in advance and remove it around 30 mins to 1 hour before you make the parathas so the dough is pliable.

I also made the stuffing in advance and kept it in the fridge. This also stays good for 3-4 days. So for dinner, all I had to do was the assembling part, where you roll out the dough to a small circle, fill the stuffing in the center and then just fold the edges of the dough until the filling is sealed in the dough. Exactly, as you would seal a wanton or momo. Then gently roll it out as thin as you can without all the stuffing coming out. Then just pan fry it and ta-da, hot crispy parathas are ready to be eaten. Never skimp on oil while making parathas, you will lose out on flavor.

For the Stuffing:

Others:

Wholewheat flour for dustingOil to fry the Parathas

Method:

To make the Dough:

In a large bowl, take the wholewheat flour. Add salt and half cup of water.Bring the mixture together and knead into a smooth soft dough. Add more water as required. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 minutes.

To make the Stuffing:

Boil and peel the sweet potato and keep aside to cool.Once the sweet potato has cooled, mash or grate the sweet potato. Ensure there are no large chunks in there.Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and add the mustard seeds.Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the finely chopped green chillis and fry for 30 seconds.Add the turmeric powder and mix well.Now add the mashed sweet potato and salt. Mix well and remove from heat.Allow it to cool to room temperature and add the chopped coriander leaves and grated cheese. Mix well.

To assemble the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha:

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll them into balls.Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions.Take a ball of dough and flatten it. Dust it with wholewheat flour.Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a circle of about 3.5" to 4" diameter. Dust with wholewheat flour as required so that the dough does not stick to the counter or the rolling pin.Place the stuffing into the center of the rolled out dough and using your fingers, bring all the edges together and seal the stuffing inside the dough.Dust the stuffed dough ball with wholewheat flour and roll it out again until the paratha has a diameter of 5" to 6".Heat a griddle or tava and grease it with oil. Always cook parathas on high heat, cooking them on low heat will make them hard.Place the paratha on the hot tava. Once the first side has developed small brown spots i.e. it has cooked, spoon oil on the uncooked side and spread it using a spoon.Flip the paratha and allow the second side to cook.Repeat the same with the remaining 5 portions.Serve hot. Parathas taste great with butter, yogurt, chutney or pickle.

I had an in-between kinda week. Some ups, some down, but definitely busy on all fronts.

Firstly, lots of work at office. I've been spending all my time in meetings and discussions. For once, talking is really tiring me out. I've gone super early to work (by my standards) and left late almost everyday this week. And worst of all, I've been working after I reach home too. Sad state of affairs there. I hope it ends soon.

Raj had potluck on Wednesday and I cooked him a big batch of food to take to work. I took that as an opportunity to click my first ever food video. Video, Guys!!! Exciting stuff there. I'm waiting for some time so I can start editing my humongous video and add some nice captions so I can post my very first video post. If that work out, I bet you'll see more of that in the future.

I think I was all buzzed up with energy this week (or may be it was that large scoop of Cold Stone ice cream), I actually managed to finish off 2 novels this week. I'm glad that I'm back to my reading self that had taken a backseat in the recent past. It may have been something to do with the fact that James Patterson novels were so thrilling, it was impossible to put them down. I'm on his third novel and absolutely loving it as of now. I see myself reading quite a bit this weekend.

Now that the weekend is almost upon us, what are your plans? Doing something interesting or just relaxing?

I would love to tone it down a bit and relax this weekend, but I don't see it happening. My aunt is coming from out of state for just the weekend. I see a lot of running around taking her places in store for us. Gardening takes a back seat, yet again this weekend.

I'll now stop ranting about busy weeks and busy weekends and get down to business.

This Sweet Potato Chaat is E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E ! Yup, it totally is. Every spoonful is a flavor bomb.

Chaat is one word for a variety of Indian street food that is served in tiny little carts all across the country. There are so many different types of chaat available - Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Sev Puri, Masala Puri etc. This Sweet Potato Chaat is inspired from Aloo Chaat and Dahi Puri.

This Sweet Potato Chaat has many layers, the first is baked sweet potato. While it can be fried, I chose to bake it just to keep it healthier. You can deep fry it or parboil the sweet potato and then shallow fry them. I had imagined that the sweet potato will turn too sweet for my chaat, but with all the chutneys and sprinklings, it actually tasted very good and added just a slight hint of sweetness to the entire dish.

The Sweet Potato Chaat is incomplete without the chutneys. I used 2 chutneys out here - spicy and fresh Coriander Mint Chutney and the tangy and sweet Tamarind Date Chutney. The 2 chutneys balance each other out in flavor. If you are making these chutney, make a little more and store it in the fridge, they both taste amazing with a variety of finger food or make really awesome marinades and dressings.

Chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander add crunch and freshness to the chaat. I would recommend that you do not skip any of them if you can help it.

I also zinged up the chaat with yogurt, but if you are a vegan, feel free to skip it.

Chaat is never complete without the chaat powder. Chaat Powder is a mix of spices and you can easily get them in stores. I also add Black Salt in all my chaats, it gives it another layer of flavor. It has a funky smell and can be turning off to some people. You can replace it with Himalayan Pink Salt or regular salt.

Add a handful of fine Sev and a squeeze of lime and you are done.

Don't get bogged down by all the instructions, just mix up everything in one bowl and serve it. The ingredients below are just a guiding value, customize the chaat according to your liking. Adjust the quantities as per your taste. If you tried the Sweet Potato Chaat, leave me a comment with your experience.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Masala Puri - Bangalore street side favorite food made with green peas and a spicy sauce.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1 cm sized cubes.Mix in oil and salt with the sweet potato and place it on a baking tray in a single layer.Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked.Allow it to cool a little.Depending on how many servings you want, divide the sweet potato.Place the sweet potato on a plate.Add the chopped onion, chopped tomato, fine sev and coriander leaves.According to your taste, add the tamarind date chutney, mint coriander chutney and yogurt.Add lime juice as required.Add a pinch of black salt, chaat masala and red chilli powder.Serve immediately.